Dirk
Herald Dirk is a homely fellow, always comparing poorly with his handsome friend Kris. He was the first Herald that Talia met. Story Talia saw Dirk on the South Trade Road leading into Haven after she was Chosen, and he reassured her that she was heading the right way. The Companions believe that the two lifebonded at that moment. They met again briefly, when Talia helped Dirk and Kris find and retrieve the special arrows Herald Ylsa had been carrying when she was ambushed and murdered. After Talia collapsed, Dirk carried her back to her room, tucking her into bed and readying everything she would need to brew the medicine for the backlash headache she was sure to have upon waking. Before Talia's first year at the Collegium, Dirk fell for Lady Naril, a court beauty. The woman turned out to be a poisonous choice. She was only using Dirk to try to get his best friend, Herald Kris, into her bed. When Dirk confronted her, she verbally took him apart, shredding his self-esteem and leaving him on the verge of suicide. Dirk, accompanied by Kris, who was always more a brother than a friend, returned home to his loving family to recover. After his return to Haven, Dirk taught Christa's Gifts class, then went back into the field as Skif's internship counselor. He saved Skif and Cymry's lives when a mountain trail gave way beneath them. Dirk and Talia encountered one another again several years later when Talia earned her Whites. Shortly after, Talia rode off on her internship assignment with Kris, while Dirk stayed in Haven and quietly obsessed over her. When Kris and Talia returned, Kris admitted they had been intimate. Convinced his best friend and the woman he loved were involved with each other, Dirk began drinking to assuage the pain of a thwarted lifebond. Eventually, it was all sorted out, but not before Kris was assassinated and Talia imprisoned and tortured. Dirk and Elspeth, with help from the massed Companions, fetched Talia from Ancar's dungeon in Hardorn. After giving Talia some time to heal from her ordeal, Dirk and Talia were married. Companion Dirk's Companion is the mare Ahrodie. Gifts Dirk's Gift is Fetching, which is transporting items from a distance away. This gift is supported by FarSight, which pinpoints the location of the item. Combining with Kris's Farsight gift made the pair more effective than any other partners. Internship Dirk interned alongside Kris under the mentoring of Herald Gerick. This was when Dirk discovered that Kris gave him a clearer "fix" than any FarSeer he had worked with before. Family history Dirk's grandfather settled in the north on what was, at that time, the very border of Valdemar. Each year he added a little more land to his holdings until he had a very respectable Steading. Over time, he and other pioneers in the region civilized the area and pushed the Border farther out. Eventually he married and had a daughter. The daughter was expected to one day marry and produce an heir, so that the Steading would remain in the family. However, the daughter was a powerful Healer, and while everyone was very glad to have her nearby, none of the single men really saw her as a marriage prospect. Then late one night, in the midst of the worst autumn storm ever seen in that region, a young journeyman Bard, turned up on the doorstep, utterly lost and already suffering from pneumonia. The Healer took him and nursed him back to health. The two fell in love and were married. The Bard, being from a farming family himself, was quite happy to settle on the farm. They had numerous children, including Dirk, who were all taught to sing and play instruments. Dirk has three older sisters (two of whom are married with children of their own), two younger sisters, and a baby brother. Kris always enjoyed visiting, being with a genuine happy family in contrast to his own cold upbringing. Music *The Face Within - about Alberich, sung with Kris *Herald's Lament - for Kris *For Talia - by Dirk *Maiden's Hope (song) - duet by Dirk and Talia for their wedding In the series Dirk appears in the following works: * ''Arrows of the Queen'', Heralds of Valdemar series, volume 1 * Arrow's Flight, Heralds of Valdemar series, volume 2 * ''Arrow's Fall'', Heralds of Valdemar series, volume 3 * Winds of Fate, Mage Winds series, volume 1 * "Sun in Glory" by Mercedes Lackey, Sun in Glory and Other Tales of Valdemar, Anthologies, volume 2 Category:Characters Category:Heralds